This invention relates to an apparatus for stacking and accumulating a tape of indefinite length such as a fastener tape, fastener chain or the like in folded condition and more particularly, to an apparatus in which when a tape of indefinite length is to be stacked and accumulated in folded condition within an accumulation box, at the completion of the accumulation step of the tape, the top of the tape stack in the box is pressed down to thereby increase the compactness of the tape stack resulting in substantial increase in the quantity of tape stacked in the accumulation box.
In the past, after the so-called dyeing process involving dyeing, water-rinsing and drying steps was completed, a tape strip of indefinite length was stacked in folded layers within an accumulation box and when the accumulation box was filled with the tape, the box was transferred to subsequent processing steps.
As means for folding and accumulating the tape, in general, a method in which the tape was reciprocally traversed along the rocking plate in the width direction thereof while shaking the tape off into the accumulation box was employed to stack the tape in the accumulation box in zigzag folded condition until the box was filled with the tape. Alternatively, a method in which the tape was folded into layers by a contact roller type transfer mechanism and as the thickness of the folded tape layers increases, the transfer mechanism was raised accordingly was employed. For example, the latter method is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 21832/77. However, in these methods, in order to increase the capacity of the box, no compression means to increase the compactness of the folded tape stack was employed. In the latter method, when the contact pressure of the roller means against the tape was increased upon transferring of the roller, the tape tended to cling about the roller which inevitably caused the operation to be interrupted. And such tendency is aggravated as the tape feed rate increases.